LOS ANGELES — A couple displaced by the devastating Eaton Fire has filed what advocates say is the first private civil lawsuit brought by a wildfire-displaced family to enforce California and Los Angeles rent-gouging protections, alleging their landlords charged nearly three times the legal rent limit despite repeated warnings from government officials.
According to a press release from The Rent Brigade, the landlords charged the couple “nearly three times the maximum rent permitted under California’s and Los Angeles’ rent-gouging laws” after they were displaced from their Altadena home by the January 2025 Eaton Fire.
The landlords received notice from both the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office and the County of Los Angeles that their conduct was illegal, but failed to reduce the rent and continued charging tenants Randall and Candy Renick nearly three times the maximum amount permitted by law.
According to an article by LAist, “Once the Palisades and Eaton fires erupted on Jan. 7, 2025, state and local governments quickly passed emergency declarations that triggered price-gouging bans. These laws made it illegal for landlords to increase rents by more than 10% from pre-fire levels.”
The article continued, “For the ZIP code where the Glassell Park property is located, the legal monthly limit for a furnished three-bedroom unit was $5,032.50. The Renicks paid nearly triple that amount.”
The lawsuit, Renick, et al. v. Sundance Group, LLC, et al., was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court and “is the first private civil action brought by a wildfire-displaced family to enforce the rental price-gouging protections of California Penal Code § 396 and Los Angeles Municipal Code § 47.12.”
On the night of Jan. 7, 2025, plaintiffs Randall and Candy Renick were forced to evacuate their home of 18 years in Altadena because of the Eaton Fire.
“They fled with their dogs and what they could fit in their car.”
Their home, the article states, “was rendered unsafe to inhabit and required extensive remediation.”
“Searching online for long-term temporary housing, the Renicks found a Zillow listing for a three-bedroom home at 3731 Toland Way in Glassell Park, owned by Defendants Terrence and Catalina Chow through a trust.”
The property was listed just nine days after the fire began, and the Renicks moved in on Jan. 26, only 10 days after the rental listing appeared.
Although California’s price-gouging law, Penal Code § 396, limited the lawful monthly rent for the property to $5,032.50, the Chows allegedly charged the Renicks nearly three times that amount — $14,938.50 per month — collecting the unlawful rent until the end of the tenancy.
By then, the Chows had collected $95,758 in alleged unlawful overcharges from the Renicks.
On Feb. 13, 2025, the Renicks received a Notice of Potential Violation of California Penal Code section 396(e) sent by the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office to the Chows.
“The notice demanded that the Chows immediately reduce the rent and refund the overcharge with 10 percent interest.”
Mr. Renick alerted the Chows by sending them a photograph of the letter, but they allegedly failed to take any corrective action.
The County of Los Angeles later sent another notice.
The Chows allegedly ignored that notice as well, continuing to charge the Renicks $14,938.50 per month through the end of the tenancy on Nov. 15, 2025.
“The Renicks’ lawsuit seeks restitution of the unlawful overcharges, compensatory damages, civil penalties of up to $30,000 per violation, and attorneys’ fees and costs,” the article states.
In addition, “the filing of this suit comes one day before Los Angeles County’s wildfire-related price-gouging protections are set to expire on May 29, 2026, after the Board of Supervisors declined to extend them at its May 19 meeting.”
“We were just trying to find somewhere safe to live while we figured out what came next,” plaintiff Candy Renick said.
“Instead, we ended up being overcharged almost $10,000 every month—and our landlords wouldn’t stop even after the City told them to.”
According to LAist, Candy Renick said money was not the “primary reason” she and her husband decided to sue.
“Any overpaid rent they manage to recover will largely go back to their insurance company,” she said.
Instead, Renick said she hopes the lawsuit sends a public message.
“People should not tolerate being overcharged for rent again, especially when they’re in a very difficult situation,” she said.
“And landlords need to know they can’t take advantage of people in a crisis.”
As wildfire season approaches, Southern Californians are again bracing for the possibility of major fires after the Palisades and Eaton fires destroyed more than 16,000 structures and displaced more than 100,000 residents in January 2025.
The Rent Brigade article states, “Since the wildfires ignited, The Rent Brigade has fought to keep price-gouging protections in place to prevent landlords and speculators from exploiting displaced families. But those protections have meant little without enforcement—and enforcement has been almost nonexistent.”
“Wildfire season is here again, and when the next fire hits, families will again be displaced, they will need housing, and they will be at their most vulnerable,” said Josh Nuni, an attorney with The People’s Law Project: Los Angeles, A.P.C., which represents the Renicks.
“The State and the City’s price-gouging laws exist because we know people will be taken advantage of without them.”
“This case is about making sure those laws are more than just words on a page.”
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